Circular sawing machine



(No Model.)

G. GOWAN.

" GIRGULAR SAWING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 6,'1883.

N. PETERS. Pholvl-Mnpbffwllhmlinm DA C,

. shaft C.

- UNITED STATES GEORGE GOWTAN, OF SHELL LAKE, VISCONSIN.

CIRCULAR SAWING MACHINE.

PATENT OFFICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,173, dated November6, 1883.

Applicationfiled May l. 1F83, (No model.)

To all whom t may concern/.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE GowAN, a citizen ofthe United States, and aresident of Shell Lake, in the county of Burnett, in the State of"Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSawing-llfachines,- of which the following specification isa full,clear,and exact description, reference being also had to the accompanyingdrawings.

This invention relates to machines for sawing slabs and similarmaterial; and it consists .in the construct-ion and arrangement of partsherein shown and described, and then sought lo he specifically definedby the claims.

In the drawings, Eigurel is a rear elevation, Fig. 2 is Ya sideelevation, and Fig. 3 is a plan view, of a slab-saw table, showing myimprovements attached to thc saws therein. Fig. a is an enlarged planview, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged side View, of one of the saws and aportion of one of the feedingehains and chainguides detached. Fig. G isan enlarged seetional view of the slipcollarf and mandrel.

This invention consists in arranging a series of saws, feedingmechanism, and guides for the saws,whereby one or more of the saws willbe free to more laterally in event of cramping without affect-ing theremainder of the series and withoutbreaking the cramped saw or saws.

The inventionis peculiarly applicable to slab sawing machines, and Ihave shown it applied to such a machine in the drawings, in which A isthe frame-work, upon which a series of trough-shaped bars, B, aresecured parallel to each other, as shown. In both ends of each of thesebars B chain-sheaves c are journaled, with their upper surfaces adaptedto come about flush 'with the lower surfaces of the troughs in the barsB, and with their lower surfaces below the lower lines of the bars, sothat when endless chains b are passed around each pair of the sheaves ain each bar B the upper parts of the chains travel in the grooves in thebars and the lower parts travel below the bars, the bars and groovesthus acting as guides and supports to y the upper parts of the chains.

All the sheaves a in all thebars B at the rear side of the frameA aremounted upon one shaft, C, having a gear, d', attached to it, andadapted to be acted upon by a pinion, d2, on a counter-shaft, d, securedtothe frame A below the d* is another gear mounted upon thecounter-shaft d, and adapted to be acted upon by a pinion, di, upon asecond counter-shaft, d, below thccountershaft d, (Z7 is abelt-pulleyupon the counter-shaft d, adapted to be driven by a cross-belt, ds, froma shaft, D, below the floor, upon which the frame Astands. Thisarrangement ofgears and belts secures the requisiteslow speed to thechains a. The chains a will be provided with spurs and pins a, to assistin feeding the slabs to the saws, as here inafter shown.

C C2 C are three sa\\'-1nandrels, mounted in suitable bearings on theframe A below the bars B, and adapi ed to be driven by belts E E2 Emifrom the shaft l). The central mandrel, 0"', has two saws, F2 IWL-oneupon each endwhile the mandrels G C have each one saw, E and Ef. I haveshown three mandrels and four saws, but any number o1" saws maybe used,as by increasing the width of ihe frame A each mandrel may be providedwith two or more saws.

The bars E are arranged as shown, so that two of the chains c and theirsupporting-bars B come between cach pair of the saws, thus two of thebars and chains coming between the saws E and F2, two coming between thesaws F2 and F, and two coming between the saws E and l1", the saws beingusually about four feet apart. The inandrels are arranged so that thesaws F and FL come in line, and the saws E and E come in line, so thatthey will not all act upon the lumber at the same time.

c c2 c3 e`l are four collars-one for each saw fitting themandrelsloosely, and leftfreetomove laterally upon the niandrels, butadapted to turn with them bykeys cgfitting into keyfseats in the collarsand into grooves e in the mandrels. This construction is clearly shownin Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The saws are mountedupon these collars, and thecollars are formed with iianges el, against which one side of the sawsrest,while rings ce support the other side, the iianges el and rings eSholding the saws between them by bolts e passing through 'all threeparts., By this means the saws are securely held fast to the collars,and the collars left free to moveI IOO the saws on either side, asshown, Smallwood en lugs are set in the inner surfaces of the forks,against which the saws run, so that the saws will not become heated bythe friction. These guides G G2 G G* are movable along the bars B, toenable them to be adjusted to it the saws and be moved inward toward themandrels as the saws wear down, or adapted to iit saws oi` differentsizes. By this arrangement the saws are held in position upon themandrels laterally entirely by the gages G l! G so that in event of thesaws bein g strained by the twisting of the lumber being sawed, or byuneven feeding, the ilexibility of saws will permit them to morelaterally upon the mandrel, but beheld rigidly by the gage at the sametime, so that when the strains are removed the gages will cause theelasticity of the saws to spring them back into place again. Thus thesaws are prevented from breaking or bending under side strains.

As before stated, this invention is peculiarly7 applicable to the formof slab-sawing machines shown in the drawings, where long slabs are eutup into four-foot lengths by being fed to the saws by the travelingchains a. It i'requently occurs t-hat by reason of the carelessness ofthe operator in placing the slabs upon the table in an angular position,or by defects in the chains, so that they do not run at the same speed,or by the difference of thickness of the slabs, one part of the slab isfed to the saws faster than the other, and thus one or more of the sawsare cramped orstrained; but by my construction, with noi more than twosaws acting` upon the same piece ofthe slab at the same time,means areprovided to prevent this eramliing affecting the saws injuriously.

l claim a great advantage by a rran ging the saw-mamlrcls in shortsections, with not more than two saws on each, and with not more thantwo saws actings upon the same slab at the same time, as by this meansthe cramping of one saw can only affect the saws upon the same mandrel,and in this respect the saws are independent oi' each other.

Having described myinveni ion and set forth its merits, what I claim isIn a slab-sawing machine, a saw-table provided with parallel horizontalfeeding-chains,

each other, each mandrel haring one or two but free to move laterallythereon, and a stationary gage supporting each saw at or near its rim,substantialhY as and for the purpose set forth.

lfn testimony whereof lhayc hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

GEORGE GONVAN.

\\'itnesses:

A. L. Boo-ema, MILL'Y BUG-man.

- two or more smv-mandrels out of line withV saws adapted to revolvewith said niandrels,`

It. is hereby certified that Letters Patent No. 288,173, grantedNovember G, 18815,

upon the application of George Gemini, of Shell Lake, Wisconsin, for unimprovement in Circular Sewing; A'Iaehnes, should have been issued teEmery .Ss Garland, of

Minneapolis, Minneseta, :is assignees of the entire interest in saidinvention, and that the proper corrections have been made iu the filesand records pertaining te the case in the Patent Oiee, and should beread in the Letters Patent t0 make it conform thereto.

Signed, counter-signed, and sealed this 29th day of January, A. I).1884.

M. L. JOSLYN, Acting Secretary of the Interior.

Gountersigued:

BENJ. BUTTERWORTH,

Cmmnssoner of Patents.

